Habib Ullah Khan (politician)

Habib Ullah Khan (31 January 1935 – 7 January 2023) was a Bangladeshi politician and diplomat. He served as the Minister of Information and then as the Minister of Jute under the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) governments in the late 1970s to early 1980s. He was also a former Member of the Jatiya Sangsad representing Comilla-5 (now Brahmanbaria-5).

Habib Ullah Khan
হাবিব উল্লাহ খান
Khan as the Bangladeshi Minister of Jute at the European Union in Brussels (1980)
Minister of Textiles and Jute
In office
30 May 1981 – 24 March 1982
PresidentAbdus Sattar
Prime MinisterShah Azizur Rahman
Member of the Bangladesh Parliament
for Comilla-5 (now Brahmanbaria-5)
In office
18 February 1979 – 24 March 1982
Minister of Information and Broadcasting
In office
21 April 1977 – 29 May 1981
PresidentZiaur Rahman
Abdus Sattar (acting)
Prime MinisterShah Azizur Rahman
1st Ambassador of Bangladesh to South Africa
Personal details
Born(1935-01-31)31 January 1935
Nabinagar, Greater Comilla, Bengal Presidency, British India
Died7 January 2023(2023-01-07) (aged 87)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Nationality
  • British Raj (1935–1947)
  • Pakistan (1947–1971)
  • Bangladesh (1971–2023)
SpouseSalma Khan (d. 2022)
ChildrenHumana Khan (daughter)
Parent
  • Abdus Shakur Khan (father)

Personal life

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Khan was born on 31 January 1935 in Nabinagar, Bengal Presidency. His father was Abdus Shakur Khan.[1][2]

Khan was married to Salma Khan, who was a diplomat and served as an ambassador of Bangladesh to Indonesia. She died in July 2022. They were survived by their only daughter, Humana Khan.[3]

Career

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As a politician, Khan joined the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and contested in the 18 February 1979 general election from Comilla-5 (now Brahmanbaria-5) and was elected as an MP for the 2nd parliament.[4] The parliament's first session sat on 2 April 1979.[5] During his time as MP, he first served as the Minister of Information and Broadcasting under Ziaur Rahman and after the assassination of Rahman, he served as the Minister of Textiles and Jute under Abdus Sattar's new cabinet.[3][6] He continued his post until the 1982 coup d'état.[citation needed]

In his diplomatic career, Khan served as the first ambassador of Bangladesh to South Africa as Bangladesh established ties with the country after the election of Nelson Mandela and the end of apartheid.[7][8]

Khan was also associated with some social and human development organizations. He was one of the founders of 'Assistance for Blind Children (ABC)', which is a Bangladeshi NGO for blind children. He was a former district governor of Rotary International in Bangladesh.[2][9][10]

Death

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Khan died at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka on 7 January 2023.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "সাবেক তথ্যমন্ত্রী হাবিব উল্লাহ খান মারা গেছেন (ভিডিও)" [Former Minister of Information Habib Ullah Khan has died]. Channel 24. 7 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Assistance for Blind Children (ABC) has honored Mr. Habibullah Khan, Founder Member and Past President of ABC". Assistance for Blind Children (ABC). 2 March 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b "সাবেক মন্ত্রী হাবিবুল্লাহ খান মারা গেছেন" [Former minister Habibullah Khan has died]. Bdnews24.com (in Bengali). 8 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  4. ^ ""List of 2nd Parliament Members" (PDF)" (PDF). Bangladesh Parliament (in Bengali). Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  5. ^ "Tenure of All Parliaments". Parliament of Bangladesh. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  6. ^ Auerbach, Stuart (13 February 1982). "Strapped Bangladesh Gets a New Cabinet". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  7. ^ "সাবেক তথ্যমন্ত্রী হাবিব উল্লাহ খান মারা গেছেন" [Former Information Minister Habib Ullah Khan has died]. Samakal. 7 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  8. ^ "BD-SA Relation". bhcpretoria.org. High Commission of Bangladesh. Archived from the original on 18 December 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  9. ^ Islam, Muhammad Saiful (7 January 2023). "Facebook Post (7 January 2023 at 23:17)". Retrieved 15 January 2023. #WeMourn The fall of another star in the rotary arena! Past District Governor Habibullah Khan breathed his last while undergoing treatment at Ever Care Hospital in the capital this evening. (Surely we belong to Allah and to Him shall we return) Apart from holding the highest post of Rotary District, he has served as Information Minister and Jute Minister of Bangladesh Government in his professional life. During his time (as information minister) Journalist's received first WAGE BOARD- which changed the life and status of these professionals. He is also the first ambassador of Bangladesh to South Africa. He is the Past President of Assistance for Blind Children (ABC). His wife PDFL Salma Khan was the Ambassador of Bangladesh to Indonesia. Salma Khan died last July.
  10. ^ "Habibullah Khan Talks About the Rotary Activities in Bangladesh". Voice of America (in Bengali). 16 July 2005. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  11. ^ "Ex-minister Habib Ullah Khan dies". New Age. 9 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.